2001 Blower dial & leaves in cowl

[jaynine89]

I have an issue with the dial for where my heat is directed. It seems like changing the position doesn't actually do anything. The cab gets warm, but as far as I can tell, the air is only coming out of the defrost at the base of the windshield. I've checked out other threads in this forum, but I'm not sure if they translate to mine (year differences/etc.) I do not have a/c in my truck.

Another issue is that when I change the fan speed, it sounds like there are dried leaves in the system. Is there an easy way to clean out the cowl? Also, is there a way to prevent stuff from getting in there again? It's kind of annoying to hear what sounds like leaves in the dash.

Any articles or advice would be appreciated.

 

[XLTsplash]

For the air flow control issue I would start with pulling off the plastic control knob and inspecting it for cracks. I've seen the knobs crack so you can turn the knob and the shaft won't move. To clean out your heater box and cowl you can remove the blower motor and the cowl access plate under the hood. I would try not to park under messy trees.

 

[Earl43P]

You may have a broken vacuum line keeping you in Defrost (the default position with no vacuum applied).

Look for the vacuum reservoir, typically mounted underneath your air filter box, bolted to the plastic fender liner, just forward of the top of the wheel arch. On it, you will find two vacuum lines. One goes to the engine vacuum port and the other to the heater control. Examine those two lines for cracks or breakage. Repair parts can be found in the HELP section of any good auto parts store.

If you have to remove the airbox to get to the vacuum reservoir sphere (sometimes they crack), lube the mount points with WD40 spray. Removing airbox requires just pulling inboard and up.



You can see mine hanging since the fender liner is out in that picture.